System and method to improve carrier aggregation efficiency for aerial user equipment over terrestrial 5G networks

ABSTRACT

A method includes registering, by a primary cell site processor, an unmanned aerial vehicle, receiving, by the primary cell site processor, a list of one or more potential secondary cell sites from the unmanned aerial vehicle, timing advances associated with the one or more secondary cell sites, deriving, by the primary cell site processor, a number of component carriers within each of the one or more potential secondary cell sites, selecting, by the primary cell site processor, one or more secondary cell sites from the one or more potential secondary cell sites, and transmitting, by the primary cell site processor, instructions to the one or more secondary cell sites to provide a component carrier to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed to systems and methods for existingterrestrial LTE and 5G networks to support unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).

BACKGROUND

Many use cases of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require beyond visualline-of-sight (LOS) communications. Mobile networks offer wide area,high speed, and secure wireless connectivity, which can enhance controland safety of UAV operations and enable beyond visual LOS use cases.While existing LTE networks may support initial UAV deployments, LTEevolution and 5G will provide more efficient connectivity for wide-scaleUAV deployments.

One challenge for controlling UAVs with LTE networks is the fact thatmobile LTE networks are optimized for terrestrial broadbandcommunication. Thus, eNB antennas are down tilted to reduce theinterference power level between adjacent cells. With down-tilted basestation antennas, UAVs may be served by the sidelobes of base stationantennas or possibly caught in a null. Due to the presence of possiblenulls in the sidelobes, and due to the close-to-free-space propagationin the sky, a UAV may detect several eNBs in the area. In general, thehigher the altitude of a UAV, the more eNBs the UAV may detect.Moreover, a UAV may detect a stronger signal from a faraway eNB than onethat is geographically closer. Hence, it is possible that a UAV may beserved by a faraway base station instead of the closest one.

A UAV may require larger bandwidth for its flight data and otherapplications. In support of those bandwidth requirements, LTE-A and 5Gtechnologies may utilize carrier aggregation techniques and therebyprovide a large number of component carriers. In particular, UAVs mayuse a large number of such component carriers while traversing theterrestrial 4G/5G Network, which in some cases, may exceed thirty-two(32) component carriers for large bandwidth operations. If capable,aerial UEs may try to activate many of these component carriers tosatisfy the bandwidth demand. If several of these component carriers arelocated at different geographic locations, the ability to add componentcarriers may be limited because of the timing propagation delaysassociated with different distances from the cell sites.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide a system and methodto maximize the number of component carriers available to UAVS.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a method including registering, bya primary cell site processor, an unmanned aerial vehicle, receiving, bythe primary cell site processor, a list of one or more potentialsecondary cell sites from the unmanned aerial vehicle, timing advancesassociated with the one or more secondary cell sites, deriving, by theprimary cell site processor, a number of component carriers within eachof the one or more potential secondary cell sites, selecting, by theprimary cell site processor, one or more secondary cell sites from theone or more potential secondary cell sites using weighting criteria, andtransmitting, by the primary cell site processor, instructions to theone or more secondary cell sites to provide a component carrier to theunmanned aerial vehicle. The method may further include grouping the oneor more potential secondary cell sites into timing advance groups andwherein the criteria comprises a number of component carriers availablein each of the timing advance groups. The criteria may include a totalbandwidth available from the number of component carriers and may alsoinclude a bandwidth demand of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The methodmay further include grouping, by the primary cell site processor, theone or more potential cell sites into one or more timing advance groupand wherein the selecting step includes selecting the one or more timingadvance groups based on the number of component carriers that areavailable in the one or more timing advance groups. In an aspect, theselecting step may include selecting the one or more timing advancegroups based on a total bandwidth available from the number of componentcarriers.

The present disclosure is also directed to a method including connectingto a primary cell site, transmitting to the primary cell site one ormore potential secondary cell sites and the power measured from each ofthe one or more potential secondary cell sites, forwarding timingadvances from each of the one or more potential secondary cell sites tothe primary cell site, receiving a selection of one or more secondarycell sites from the one or more potential secondary cell sites, andconnecting to the one or more secondary cell sites. The one or moresecondary cell sites may be based on inclusion of selected timingadvance groups, wherein the selected timing advance groups are based ona number of component carriers associated with each timing advancegroups. The selected timing advance groups may maximize the bandwidthassociated with a number of component carriers. The method may furtherinclude receiving a buffer full message from the primary cell site andidentifying one or more potential secondary cell sites responsive to thebuffer full message and wherein the one or more secondary sites aregrouped based on timing advanced groups.

The present disclosure is also directed to a system including a primarycell site and a plurality of secondary cell sites, an input-outputinterface in communication with the primary cell site, a processorassociated with the primary cell site and coupled to the input-outputinterface wherein the processor is further coupled to a memory, thememory having stored thereon executable instructions that when executedby the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations includingreceiving bandwidth demands from an unmanned aerial vehicle, receiving aset of potential secondary cell sites and timing advances associatedwith the potential secondary cell sites, grouping the set of potentialsecondary cell sites into timing advance groups, selecting secondarycell sites from the set of potential secondary cell sites, and causingthe secondary cell sites to establish communication with the unmannedaerial vehicle. The set of potential secondary cell sites may bedetermined using power levels reported by the unmanned aerial vehicleassociated with each of the potential secondary cell sites. Theselecting step may include selecting the secondary cell sites based onthe number of component carriers available in each of the timing advancegroups or may include selecting the secondary cell sites based on thetotal bandwidth of component carriers available in each of the timingadvance groups. In an aspect, the availability of the potentialsecondary cell sites is based on a priority level of the unmanned aerialvehicle and the selecting step is based on the availability of thepotential secondary cell sites. The operations may further includesending a buffer full message to the unmanned aerial vehicle and thereceiving step is performed in response to the buffer full message. Theselecting step may maximize the bandwidth available from componentcarriers associated with the potential secondary cell sites.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,the claimed subject matter is not limited to limitations that solve anyor all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture in accordancewith the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture illustrating thepositive effect that weighting may have on the selection of componentcarriers.

FIG. 3A is an exemplary diagram showing various number of cells indifferent timing advance group

FIG. 3B is an exemplary table showing some parameters and subsequentweighting of timing advance groups.

FIG. 4A is an exemplary flow chart showing a method of maximizingcomponent carriers from the perspective of a primary serving cell.

FIG. 4B is an exemplary flow chart showing a method of maximizingcomponent carriers from the perspective of an aerial unmanned vehicle.

FIG. 4C is an exemplary flow chart showing the connection of an aerialunmanned vehicle to a primary cell and secondary cells.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary network device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary communication system that provideswireless telecommunication services over wireless communicationnetworks.

FIG. 7 is a representation of an exemplary network.

FIG. 8 is a representation of an exemplary hardware platform for anetwork.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

System Overview. This disclosure is directed a novel system and methodfor optimizing the number of component carriers available to a UAV. Itshould be noted that the terms UAV for unmanned aerial vehicle andaerial user equipment (aerial UE) will be used interchangeablythroughout. The generic term UE may be used for either an aerial UE or aterrestrial UE.

Optimizing the number of component carriers may be accomplished bydetermining the timing advances (TA) for multiple potential cells thatare visible to a UAV as it traverses a terrestrial LTE/5G network andadding component carriers based on an analysis of such timing advancesas applied to timing advance groups (TAG). A timing advance groupconsists of one or more serving cells with the same uplink timingadvance and same downlink timing reference cell. Each timing advancegroup contains at least one serving cell with configured uplink, and themapping of each serving cell to a timing advance group is configured byradio resource control. In the current technology, there is a defined2-bit Timing Advance Group Identity (TAG Id). This means that anindividual UE may configure up to four (4) timing advance groups, 1primary timing advance group and 3 secondary timing advance groups. Itwill be noted that advances in technology in which increases in thenumber of timing advance groups may also use the system and method ofthe present disclosure to maximize the number of component carriersavailable to a UAV. As such, carrier aggregation (“CA”) capable UAVs mayuse one or more timing advance groups such that the aggregated bandwidthaligns with the UE demand, quality of service, and other factors.

Carrier aggregation allows service providers to increase the use ofavailable spectrum. Carrier aggregation combines bands of spectrum tocreate wider channels, producing increased capacity and higher speeds.Carrier aggregation may be configured with multiple carriers of anybandwidth and may include either non-continuous and/or continuousspectrum chunks, in any frequency band. Carrier aggregation may be usedin LTE-Advanced networks in order to increase the bandwidth, and therebyincrease the bitrate, and is used in both Frequency Division Duplex(FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) modes.

Aerial UEs may use multiple component carriers that are non-collocatedfor carrier aggregation. Such use of non-collocated component carriersmay yield to multiple timing advances for uplink carrier aggregation.

With respect to an aerial UE, the UE may be able to communicate withmultiple cell sites, including a primary serving cell and secondarycells. The system and method of the present disclosure includes amethodology for optimizing the process of adding carrier componentsbased on timing advances for aerial UEs which are traversing aterrestrial 4G/5G Network. The system may use aerial UE subscriptioninformation to identify the type of aerial UE that is traveling throughthe network and the capabilities of the aerial UE are reported to thesystem. The system may also receive bandwidth, priority, quality ofservice and other information from the aerial UE. The aerial UE mayreport the reference signal received power (RSRP) of neighboring cells.The system may add a weighting factor to each neighboring cell, whereinthe weighting factor is a function of the available secondary timingadvance groups, the number of component carrier candidates within eachtiming advance group, the aerial UE and carrier aggregationcapabilities, aerial UE bandwidth demands, component carrier availableradio frequency resources, the aerial UE estimated trajectory, and theaerial UE quality of service (QoS). The system then may communicate theweighting factors to the serving cell, and mandate that the serving celluse these weighting factors when deciding which neighboring cells to beadded as component carriers. By using the weighting factor, the systemcan maximize the number of component carriers used in order to supportthe aerial UE bandwidth demand. As such, the method is embodied in apractical application that advances the state of the technology in thetelecommunications sector relating to serving UAVs with a terrestrialLTE/5G network.

Operating Environment. The system and method provided herein allows forthe maximization of the use of component carriers on UAVs that arecapable of carrier aggregation. With reference to FIG. 1, there is shownan exemplary system 10 in which the present disclosure may beimplemented. The system 10 may include terrestrial UEs 5, 7 and UAVs 1,3 connected to a network 6 which may, for example, be any type ofwireless network including, fourth generation (4G)/LTE, LTE-Advanced,fifth generation (5G), and any other wireless communication network. Itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that while the network 6may comprise the afore-mentioned networks, a combination of one or morecommunication networks may be used.

Terrestrial user equipment 5, 7, may, for example, be a smartphone,tablet or personal computer configured with an operating system whichmay, for example, be one of Apple's iOS, Google's Android, MicrosoftWindows Mobile, or any other smartphone operating system or computeroperating system or versions thereof. The terrestrial UEs 5, 7 maycommunicate with each other or with UAVs 1 and 3 through network 6. UAVs1, 3 may be any type of aerial UEs and used for any purpose, includingsurveillance, audio/video streaming, weather forecasting, communicationsnodes, deliveries, and any other purpose.

To communicate through the network 6, the terrestrial UEs 5, 7 and UAVs1, 3 may have a communication interface for a wireless system, whichmay, for example, be 4G LTE, and 5G, or any other advanced wirelesscommunication interface as understood by those skilled in the art anddescribed in more detail below.

The terrestrial UEs 5, 7 and aerial UEs 1, 3 may communicate to thenetwork 6 by one or more cell sites labeled 2 a through 2 h. These sitesmay, for example, be eNodeBs (eNBs) in a 4G/LTE or 5G network. In theexemplary network architecture of FIG. 1 and shown by dashed lines,terrestrial UE 7 may communicate with network 6 through one of eNB 2 a,eNB 2 b or eNB 2 c. Terrestrial UE 5 may communicate with network 6through one of eNB 2 g or eNB 2 h. UAV 1 may communicate with network 6through one or more of eNB 2 a, eNB 2 b, eNB 2 c, eNB 2 d, eNB 2 e, oreNB 2 f UAV 3, shown at a lower altitude, may be able to communicatewith network 6 through one or more of eNB 2 f, eNB g, or eNB 2 h.

With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown an exemplary block diagram of aUAV 20 traveling from left to right along flight path 21. UAV 20 maydetect a large number of component carriers while traveling theterrestrial 4G/5G Network. The UAV may try to activate many componentcarriers. However, if the component carriers are non-collocated, thelimitation on the number of timing advance groups could severely limitthe number of component carriers.

In this example, multiple cell sites are grouped in timing advancedgroups in accordance with their respective timing advances with respectto the location and travel trajectory of UAV 20. UAV 20 is shown incommunication with 22 as the serving cell which may, for example,comprise timing advance group 1. UAV 20 may also be able to establishcommunications with the various timing advance groups, namely timingadvance group 23 comprising one cell, timing advance group 24 comprisingone cell, timing advance group 25 comprising 5 cells and timing advancegroup 26 comprising 2 cells. It will be understood that a timing advancegroup having multiple cells, such cells may be co-located, or they maybe in proximity such that the timing advance for each cell in the timingadvance group is compatible with the other cells. Moreover, any one ofthe cells in a timing advance group may serve as a secondary cell andprovide component carriers from each of the other cells in that timingadvance group.

Assuming UAV 20 is capable of carrier aggregation, in addition toprimary timing advance group 22 having one cell, the UAV may add up tothree additional secondary timing advance groups to add componentcarriers from each to increase the available bandwidth. If the onlycriteria were to be the distance from the UAV 20 to the timing advancegroups, serving cell 22 would communicate with timing advance group 23with one cell, timing advance group 24 with one cell, and timing advancegroup 26 with 2 cells. That would provide UAV 20 with a total of four(4) additional component carriers for a total if five (5) componentcarriers.

In an embodiment, the system may determine in advance of adding thecomponent carriers the number of component carriers in each timingadvance group. Accordingly, serving cell 20 may select timing advancegroup 25 having 5 cells, timing advance group 26 having 2 cells, andtiming advance group 23 having 1 cell. As such, a weighting algorithmmay increase the number of secondary component carriers available to UAV20 from four (4) to eight (8), thereby raising the total number ofcomponent carriers from five (5) to nine (9).

To achieve this result, the system and method described of the presentdisclosure will add weighting to the available timing advance groups tomaximize the number of component carriers made available to UAV 20. Themethodology may use UAV 20 subscription information to identify the typeof aerial UE is traveling through the network. Once the UAV is detectedand identifies, the terrestrial 4G/5G network requests the aerial UE toidentify its carrier aggregation capabilities. When the aerial UEreports the reference signal received power of the of neighboring cells,the system will add a weighting factor to each neighboring cell. Theweighting factor may be a function of several data points, including thenumber of available secondary timing advance groups, the number ofcomponent carrier candidates within the same timing advance group, theaerial UE capabilities with respect to carrier aggregation, the aerialUE's bandwidth demand, the available RF resources of the carriercomponents, the aerial UE estimated trajectory, and the UE quality ofservice (QoS).

With respect to the data points for the weighting factor, the number ofavailable timing advance groups may vary by a function of altitude anddistance of the UAV. The UAV (the current technology) is limited tothree additional timing advance groups—though that number may increasein future network releases—meaning that any number greater than threemay be subject to a weighting algorithm. Because there is a limit to thenumber of advance timing groups, the number of component carriers withineach timing advance group may be involved in the weighting such that themore component carriers within a particular timing advance group, theheavier that particular timing advance group will be weighted.

The UAV carrier aggregation capabilities may be factored into theweighting algorithm. If the UAV does not have CA capabilities or isotherwise limited, then any weighting factor must consider thelimitations of the UAV in this regard. The UAV bandwidth demand may alsobe considered in the weighting function. Higher bandwidth demands willcause the timing advance groups with the higher number of componentcarriers to be weighted more heavily. Conversely, with lower bandwidthdemands from the UAV, the algorithm may weigh the various timing advancegroups more equally and the decision as to which timing advance groupsto add may be more of a function of distance and/or signal strength thanthe number of component carriers available in a particular timingadvance group.

The availability of the RF resources in a timing advance group will alsobe a factor. For example, if there is a higher priority use of the RFresources in a particular timing advance group, then that timing advancegroup may be weighted less than another timing advance group in whichthe UAV has higher or equal priority. This may occur, for example, in acase in which a UAV taking videos for a news outlet over an emergencysite has a lower priority than a UAV being used by first responders inthat emergency. The weighting algorithm will prioritize the RF resourcesfor the first responders over the news outlet.

The trajectory of the UAV may also be considered in the weightingfunction. For a UAV traveling east to west, component carriers in anadvance timing group that are further west and in the direction the UAVis traveling may be given a higher weight than component carriers in anadvance timing group that is further east and from which the UAV istraveling. For example, a geographically closer timing advance group maybe given less weight if the UAV is traveling away from that timingadvance group than a geographically further timing advance group that isbeing approached by the UAV.

Quality of service may also be considered in the weighting function.Wireless operators may commit to a certain minimum quality of serviceand therefore will prioritize the resources to those UAVs having ahigher quality of service.

In an aspect, the weighting factor may be determined by the serving cellor by an edge processor. The serving cell uses these weighting factorswhen deciding which neighboring cell to be added as component carriers.The weighting factors are used to maximize the number of componentcarriers in order to support the aerial UE bandwidth demand.

With respect to FIG. 3A, there is shown an exemplary configuration ofmultiple potential secondary cell groups, including cell group A 30having 5 cells, cell group B 31 having 1 cell, cell group C having 10cells, cell group D having 2 cells, and cell group E having 1 cell.

FIG. 3B shows this information in the first two columns of the table.Column three shows the available aggregate RF bandwidth associated witheach cell group. The timing advance group in column four indicates thecell group number from FIG. 3. The fifth column indicates the relativeweighting factors (WF) for each of the timing advance groups, with thehighest weighting identified as WF.1 and the lowest weight identified asWF.5.

In this example, timing advance group 3 (TA.3) corresponding to cellgroup 3) will be weighted the most with weighting factor (WF.1). This isbecause with the ten cells and an aggregate bandwidth of 100 MHz, TA.3provides the most available potential component carriers and highestpotential aggregate bandwidth. Timing advance group one (TA.1) has thesecond highest weight with 5 component carriers and an available RFbandwidth of 50 MHz. Timing advance group 4 (TA.4) has the third highestweights with 2 component carriers and an aggregate available RFbandwidth of 20 MHz. Based on the weighting factors, TA.3, TA.1, andTA.4 would be selected in that order as the secondary timing advancegroups, adding an additional sixteen (16) compound carriers to thoseassociated with the primary timing advance group.

Carrier aggregation is triggered at the UE level. If the serving celldoes not have enough resources to satisfy UE demand, UE-Buffer at theserving cell may fill and may exceed a predefined threshold value(CA.BUFFER.THRES). If this happens, then the serving cell will respondby triggering carrier aggregation for the UE.

The serving cell where the aerial UE receives its system informationfrom is called primary cell (PCELL) while every other configured carrieris a secondary cell (SCELL). PCELL is responsible for cross-carrierscheduling of the SCELLS. The PCELL is scheduled through its ownphysical downlink control channel (PDCCH). SCELL may be co-located withPCELL i.e., in the same eNB, or may be non-co-located, i.e., differenteNBs,

The use of multiple timing advances is required for the support ofnon-collocated cells with carrier aggregation. Once the PCELL isobtained, the UE will then synchronize to the SCELL of the othersite(s). In an aspect, the PCELL eNB will request a radio access channel(RACH) on the SCELL immediately after SCELL activation. The RACH requestis then sent to the UAV by PDCCH signaling from the PCELL.

If a TAG contains the PCELL, it is referred to as the primary timingadvance group (pTAG). If a TAG contains only SCELL(s), it is denoted asthe secondary timing advance group (sTAG). There is one timing referencecell and one-time alignment timer (TAT) per TAG, and each TAT may beconfigured with a different value. For the, the PCELL is used as thetiming reference cell, whereas for sTAG, the UE may use any activatedSCELL from the same sTAG as the timing reference cell.

Methods of Use. With reference to FIG. 4A, there is shown an exemplaryflow diagram of processing by a system constructed in accordance withthe present disclosure. At 51, a UAV connects to a terrestrial network.The network may be a 4G/LTE or a 5G network or any advanced network. TheUAV subscription information may be learned based on the registrationand connection processes. At 52, the UAV capabilities with respect tocarrier aggregation are obtained. Other obtained information may includeUAV bandwidth demand, quality of service, priority, and otherinformation which may be relevant to the weighting function. At 53, theUAV's trajectory is learned, along with the network topology incommunication range of the UAV. At 54, the estimate of timing advancesfor each of the neighboring cells is calculated. At 55, the cells withthe same timing advance are groups into timing advance groups. At 56,the reference signal received power of the neighboring cells is sentfrom the UAV to the serving cell. At 57, the serving cell or anotheredge processing device computes the weighting factors. At 58, theweighting factors are applied to determine which timing advance groupsand associated component carriers may be assigned as secondary timingadvance groups. At 59, the carrier aggregation is provided to the UAVand to the secondary timing advance groups to provide the UAV bandwidthdemands in accordance with the weighting factors. At 60, the systemmonitors the UAV traversing the network for any changes. If there are nochanges, the process continues at 59 with the component carriers beingused by the UAV remaining unchanged. If there are changes, which may,for example, be an increase in UAV speed, direction, altitude, oralternatively, a change in the availability of component carriers, thenthe system returns to 53 where the new UAV trajectory, speed, altitudeand/or the network topology is assessed and obtained.

With reference to FIG. 4B, there is shown an exemplary flow diagram fromthe perspective of a UAV. At 61, the UAV connects to a terrestrialnetwork. At 62, the UAV transmits its carrier aggregation capabilitiesand other information to the serving cell. The other information may bebandwidth demands, quality of service, or other parameters. At 63, thetrajectory, which may, for example, include flight path, speed,direction, altitude or other data and the network topology as viewed bythe UAV is sent to the serving cell. At 64, the potential componentcarriers are detected. At 65, the timing advances from those potentialcomponent carriers are received. At 66, those timing advances, alongwith the measured power levels, are sent to the serving cell. At 67, thecarrier aggregation instructions are received from the serving cellbased on the weighting factors as applied by the serving cell. At 68,the component carriers are added.

With reference to FIG. 4C, there is shown an exemplary method by which aUAV may connect to a PCELL and one or more SCELLS. At 71, the UAV firstperforms synchronization to PCELL. From there, the UAV will synchronizewith the SCELL(s) in each secondary timing advance group. At 72, theSCELL(s) in each secondary timing advance group are configured. TheSCELL(s) in a secondary timing advance group may be configured with RACHresource. At 73, the eNB requests RACH access on the SCELL to determinetiming advance. This may be performed by the PCELL initiating the RACHtransmission on the SCELL by sending a PDCCH signaling from the PCELL.At 74, the response from the SCELL with the timing advance is received.The message in response to a SCELL preamble is transmitted on thePCELL-UL using radio access-radio network temporary identification(RA-RNTI) that conforms to 3GPP Release 8. At 75, if the SCELL isselected to supply component carrier(s), the UAV will track the downlinkframe timing change of the SCELL and adjust the uplink transmissiontiming following the timing advance commands from the eNB.

In order to allow multiple timing advance commands, the relevant MACtiming advance command control element has been modified. The controlelement consists of a new 2-bit Timing Advance Group Identity (TAG Id)and a 6-bit timing advance command field (unchanged compared to 3GPPRelease 8). The Timing Advance Group containing the PCell has the TimingAdvance Group Identity 0.

The above examples show the weighting algorithm for a single UAV and thetiming advance groups that the single UAV can see and use the RFresources available to add component carriers. It will be understoodthat there may be other UAVs competing for the same or similar type ofresources and those resources may be scared. As such, it is possiblethat for any given UAV at any point in time, the maximum amount ofcomponent carriers may not be available for that particular UAV at themoment. Nevertheless, the system and method of the present disclosurewill still maximize those component carriers to the extent that they areavailable for assignment and use by the UAV.

Network Description. The system and method of the present disclosure maybe implemented in a 4G/LTE, LTE-A, or 5G network or another advancednetwork. In the 5G context, the system and method of the presentdisclosure may be implemented and offered by operators to customers aspart of 5G slices.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of network device 300 that may be connected tothe network described in FIG. 1 or which may be a component of such anetwork. Network device 300 may comprise hardware or a combination ofhardware and software. The functionality to facilitatetelecommunications via a telecommunications network may reside in one orcombination of network devices 300. Network device 300 depicted in FIG.5 may represent or perform functionality of an appropriate networkdevice 300, or combination of network devices 300, such as, for example,a component or various components of a cellular broadcast systemwireless network, a processor, a server, a gateway, a node, a mobileswitching center (MSC), a short message service center (SMSC), anautomatic location function server (ALFS), a gateway mobile locationcenter (GMLC), a radio access network (RAN), a serving mobile locationcenter (SMLC), or the like, or any appropriate combination thereof. Itis emphasized that the block diagram depicted in FIG. 5 is exemplary andnot intended to imply a limitation to a specific implementation orconfiguration. Thus, network device 300 may be implemented in a singledevice or multiple devices (e.g., single server or multiple servers,single gateway or multiple gateways, single controller or multiplecontrollers). Multiple network entities may be distributed or centrallylocated. Multiple network entities may communicate wirelessly, via hardwire, or any appropriate combination thereof.

Network device 300 may comprise a processor 302 and a memory 304 coupledto processor 302. Memory 304 may contain executable instructions that,when executed by processor 302, cause processor 302 to effectuateoperations associated with mapping wireless signal strength. As evidentfrom the description herein, network device 300 is not to be construedas software per se.

In addition to processor 302 and memory 304, network device 300 mayinclude an input/output system 306. Processor 302, memory 304, andinput/output system 306 may be coupled together (coupling not shown inFIG. 5) to allow communications between them. Each portion of networkdevice 300 may comprise circuitry for performing functions associatedwith each respective portion. Thus, each portion may comprise hardware,or a combination of hardware and software. Accordingly, each portion ofnetwork device 300 is not to be construed as software per se.Input/output system 306 may be capable of receiving or providinginformation from or to a communications device or other network entitiesconfigured for telecommunications. For example, input/output system 306may include a wireless communication (e.g., 3G/4G/GPS) card.Input/output system 306 may be capable of receiving or sending videoinformation, audio information, control information, image information,data, or any combination thereof. Input/output system 306 may be capableof transferring information with network device 300. In variousconfigurations, input/output system 306 may receive or provideinformation via any appropriate means, such as, for example, opticalmeans (e.g., infrared), electromagnetic means (e.g., RF, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth®, ZigBee®), acoustic means (e.g., speaker, microphone,ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic transmitter), or a combination thereof.In an example configuration, input/output system 306 may comprise aWi-Fi finder, a two-way GPS chipset or equivalent, or the like, or acombination thereof.

Input/output system 306 of network device 300 also may contain acommunication connection 308 that allows network device 300 tocommunicate with other devices, network entities, or the like.Communication connection 308 may comprise communication media.Communication media typically embody computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includesany information delivery media. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media may include wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, or wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared, or other wireless media. The term computer-readable media asused herein includes both storage media and communication media.Input/output system 306 also may include an input device 310 such askeyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, or touch input device.Input/output system 306 may also include an output device 312, such as adisplay, speakers, or a printer.

Processor 302 may be capable of performing functions associated withtelecommunications, such as functions for processing broadcast messages,as described herein. For example, processor 302 may be capable of, inconjunction with any other portion of network device 300, determining atype of broadcast message and acting according to the broadcast messagetype or content, as described herein.

Memory 304 of network device 300 may comprise a storage medium having aconcrete, tangible, physical structure. As is known, a signal does nothave a concrete, tangible, physical structure. Memory 304, as well asany computer-readable storage medium described herein, is not to beconstrued as a signal. Memory 304, as well as any computer-readablestorage medium described herein, is not to be construed as a transientsignal. Memory 304, as well as any computer-readable storage mediumdescribed herein, is not to be construed as a propagating signal. Memory304, as well as any computer-readable storage medium described herein,is to be construed as an article of manufacture.

Memory 304 may store any information utilized in conjunction withtelecommunications. Depending upon the exact configuration or type ofprocessor, memory 304 may include a volatile storage 314 (such as sometypes of RAM), a nonvolatile storage 316 (such as ROM, flash memory), ora combination thereof. Memory 304 may include additional storage (e.g.,a removable storage 318 or a non-removable storage 320) including, forexample, tape, flash memory, smart cards, CD-ROM, DVD, or other opticalstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, USB-compatible memory, or any othermedium that can be used to store information and that can be accessed bynetwork device 300. Memory 304 may comprise executable instructionsthat, when executed by processor 302, cause processor 302 to effectuateoperations to map signal strengths in an area of interest.

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 500 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods described above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as processor 302, server 112, mobile device 101,in 102, MME 103, and other devices of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network 502) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,internet of things (JOT) device (e.g., thermostat, sensor, or othermachine-to-machine device), or any machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. It will be understood that a communication device ofthe subject disclosure includes broadly any electronic device thatprovides voice, video or data communication. Further, while a singlemachine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude any collection of machines that individually or jointly executea set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more ofthe methods discussed herein.

Computer system 500 may include a processor (or controller) 504 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU)), a graphics processing unit (GPU, orboth), a main memory 506 and a static memory 508, which communicate witheach other via a bus 510. The computer system 500 may further include adisplay unit 512 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel, ora solid-state display). Computer system 500 may include an input device514 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 516 (e.g., a mouse), adisk drive unit 518, a signal generation device 520 (e.g., a speaker orremote control) and a network interface device 522. In distributedenvironments, the embodiments described in the subject disclosure can beadapted to utilize multiple display units 512 controlled by two or morecomputer systems 500. In this configuration, presentations described bythe subject disclosure may in part be shown in a first of display units512, while the remaining portion is presented in a second of displayunits 512.

The disk drive unit 518 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 524 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 526) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above.Instructions 526 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within main memory 506, static memory 508, or within processor 504during execution thereof by the computer system 500. Main memory 506 andprocessor 504 also may constitute tangible computer-readable storagemedia.

FIG. 7 is a representation of an exemplary network 600. Network 600(e.g., network 111) may comprise an SDN—that is, network 600 may includeone or more virtualized functions implemented on general purposehardware, such as in lieu of having dedicated hardware for every networkfunction. That is, general purpose hardware of network 600 may beconfigured to run virtual network elements to support communicationservices, such as mobility services, including consumer services andenterprise services. These services may be provided or measured insessions.

A virtual network functions (VNFs) 602 may be able to support a limitednumber of sessions. Each VNF 602 may have a VNF type that indicates itsfunctionality or role. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a gateway VNF 602a and a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) VNF 602 b.Additionally or alternatively, VNFs 602 may include other types of VNFs.Each VNF 602 may use one or more virtual machines (VMs) 604 to operate.Each VM 604 may have a VM type that indicates its functionality or role.For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a management control module (MCM) VM 604a, an advanced services module (ASM) VM 604 b, and a DEP VM 604 c.Additionally or alternatively, VMs 604 may include other types of VMs.Each VM 604 may consume various network resources from a hardwareplatform 606, such as a resource 608, a virtual central processing unit(vCPU) 608 a, memory 608 b, or a network interface card (NIC) 608 c.Additionally or alternatively, hardware platform 606 may include othertypes of resources 608.

While FIG. 7 illustrates resources 608 as collectively contained inhardware platform 606, the configuration of hardware platform 606 mayisolate, for example, certain memory 608 c from other memory 608 c. FIG.8 provides an exemplary implementation of hardware platform 606.

Hardware platform 606 may comprise one or more chasses 610. Chassis 610may refer to the physical housing or platform for multiple servers oranother network equipment. In an aspect, chassis 610 may also refer tothe underlying network equipment. Chassis 610 may include one or moreservers 612. Server 612 may comprise general purpose computer hardwareor a computer. In an aspect, chassis 610 may comprise a metal rack, andservers 612 of chassis 610 may comprise blade servers that arephysically mounted in or on chassis 610.

Each server 612 may include one or more network resources 608, asillustrated. Servers 612 may be communicatively coupled together (notshown) in any combination or arrangement. For example, all servers 612within a given chassis 610 may be communicatively coupled. As anotherexample, servers 612 in different chasses 610 may be communicativelycoupled. Additionally, or alternatively, chasses 610 may becommunicatively coupled together (not shown) in any combination orarrangement.

The characteristics of each chassis 610 and each server 612 may differ.For example, FIG. 8 illustrates that the number of servers 612 withintwo chasses 610 may vary. Additionally, or alternatively, the type ornumber of resources 610 within each server 612 may vary. In an aspect,chassis 610 may be used to group servers 612 with the same resourcecharacteristics. In another aspect, servers 612 within the same chassis610 may have different resource characteristics.

Given hardware platform 606, the number of sessions that may beinstantiated may vary depending upon how efficiently resources 608 areassigned to different VMs 604. For example, assignment of VMs 604 toresources 608 may be constrained by one or more rules. For example, afirst rule may require that resources 608 assigned to a VM 604 be on thesame server 612 or set of servers 612. For example, if VM 604 uses eightvCPUs 608 a, 1 GB of memory 608 b, and 2 NICs 608 c, the rules mayrequire that all these resources 608 be sourced from the same server612. Additionally, or alternatively, VM 604 may require splittingresources 608 among multiple servers 612, but such splitting may need toconform with certain restrictions. For example, resources 608 for VM 604may be able to be split between two servers 612. Default rules mayapply. For example, a default rule may require that all resources 608for a given VM 604 must come from the same server 612.

An affinity rule may restrict assignment of resources 608 for aparticular VM 604 (or a particular type of VM 604). For example, anaffinity rule may require that certain VMs 604 be instantiated on (thatis, consume resources from) the same server 612 or chassis 610. Forexample, if VNF 602 uses six MCM VMs 604 a, an affinity rule may dictatethat those six MCM VMs 604 a be instantiated on the same server 612 (orchassis 610). As another example, if VNF 602 uses MCM VMs 604 a, ASM VMs604 b, and a third type of VMs 604, an affinity rule may dictate that atleast the MCM VMs 604 a and the ASM VMs 604 b be instantiated on thesame server 612 (or chassis 610). Affinity rules may restrict assignmentof resources 608 based on the identity or type of resource 608, VNF 602,VM 604, chassis 610, server 612, or any combination thereof.

An anti-affinity rule may restrict assignment of resources 608 for aparticular VM 604 (or a particular type of VM 604). In contrast to anaffinity rule—which may require that certain VMs 604 be instantiated onthe same server 612 or chassis 610—an anti-affinity rule requires thatcertain VMs 604 be instantiated on different servers 612 (or differentchasses 610). For example, an anti-affinity rule may require that MCM VM604 a be instantiated on a particular server 612 that does not containany ASM VMs 604 b. As another example, an anti-affinity rule may requirethat MCM VMs 604 a for a first VNF 602 be instantiated on a differentserver 612 (or chassis 610) than MCM VMs 604 a for a second VNF 602.Anti-affinity rules may restrict assignment of resources 608 based onthe identity or type of resource 608, VNF 602, VM 604, chassis 610,server 612, or any combination thereof.

Within these constraints, resources 608 of hardware platform 606 may beassigned to be used to instantiate VMs 604, which in turn may be used toinstantiate VNFs 602, which in turn may be used to establish sessions.The different combinations for how such resources 608 may be assignedmay vary in complexity and efficiency. For example, differentassignments may have different limits of the number of sessions that canbe established given a particular hardware platform 606.

For example, consider a session that may require gateway VNF 602 a andPCRF VNF 602 b. Gateway VNF 602 a may require five VMs 604 instantiatedon the same server 612, and PCRF VNF 602 b may require two VMs 604instantiated on the same server 612. (Assume, for this example, that noaffinity or anti-affinity rules restrict whether VMs 604 for PCRF VNF602 b may or must be instantiated on the same or different server 612than VMs 604 for gateway VNF 602 a.) In this example, each of twoservers 612 may have sufficient resources 608 to support 10 VMs 604. Toimplement sessions using these two servers 612, first server 612 may beinstantiated with 10 VMs 604 to support two instantiations of gatewayVNF 602 a, and second server 612 may be instantiated with 9 VMs: fiveVMs 604 to support one instantiation of gateway VNF 602 a and four VMs604 to support two instantiations of PCRF VNF 602 b. This may leave theremaining resources 608 that could have supported the tenth VM 604 onsecond server 612 unused (and unusable for an instantiation of either agateway VNF 602 a or a PCRF VNF 602 b). Alternatively, first server 612may be instantiated with 10 VMs 604 for two instantiations of gatewayVNF 602 a and second server 612 may be instantiated with 10 VMs 604 forfive instantiations of PCRF VNF 602 b, using all available resources 608to maximize the number of VMs 604 instantiated.

Consider, further, how many sessions each gateway VNF 602 a and eachPCRF VNF 602 b may support. This may factor into which assignment ofresources 608 is more efficient. For example, consider if each gatewayVNF 602 a supports two million sessions, and if each PCRF VNF 602 bsupports three million sessions. For the first configuration—three totalgateway VNFs 602 a (which satisfy the gateway requirement for sixmillion sessions) and two total PCRF VNFs 602 b (which satisfy the PCRFrequirement for six million sessions)—would support a total of sixmillion sessions. For the second configuration—two total gateway VNFs602 a (which satisfy the gateway requirement for four million sessions)and five total PCRF VNFs 602 b (which satisfy the PCRF requirement for15 million sessions)—would support a total of four million sessions.Thus, while the first configuration may seem less efficient looking onlyat the number of available resources 608 used (as resources 608 for thetenth possible VM 604 are unused), the second configuration is actuallymore efficient from the perspective of being the configuration that cansupport more the greater number of sessions.

To solve the problem of determining a capacity (or, number of sessions)that can be supported by a given hardware platform 605, a givenrequirement for VNFs 602 to support a session, a capacity for the numberof sessions each VNF 602 (e.g., of a certain type) can support, a givenrequirement for VMs 604 for each VNF 602 (e.g., of a certain type), agive requirement for resources 608 to support each VM 604 (e.g., of acertain type), rules dictating the assignment of resources 608 to one ormore VMs 604 (e.g., affinity and anti-affinity rules), the chasses 610and servers 612 of hardware platform 606, and the individual resources608 of each chassis 610 or server 612 (e.g., of a certain type), aninteger programming problem may be formulated.

As described herein, a telecommunications system wherein management andcontrol utilizing a software designed network (SDN) and a simple IP arebased, at least in part, on user equipment, may provide a wirelessmanagement and control framework that enables common wireless managementand control, such as mobility management, radio resource management,QoS, load balancing, etc., across many wireless technologies, e.g. LTE,Wi-Fi, and future 5G access technologies; decoupling the mobilitycontrol from data planes to let them evolve and scale independently;reducing network state maintained in the network based on user equipmenttypes to reduce network cost and allow massive scale; shortening cycletime and improving network upgradability; flexibility in creatingend-to-end services based on types of user equipment and applications,thus improve customer experience; or improving user equipment powerefficiency and battery life—especially for simple M2M devices—throughenhanced wireless management.

While examples of a telecommunications system have been described inconnection with various computing devices/processors, the underlyingconcepts may be applied to any computing device, processor, or systemcapable of facilitating a telecommunications system. The varioustechniques described herein may be implemented in connection withhardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both.Thus, the methods and devices may take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in concrete, tangible, storage media having aconcrete, tangible, physical structure. Examples of tangible storagemedia include floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, hard drives, or any othertangible machine-readable storage medium (computer-readable storagemedium). Thus, a computer-readable storage medium is not a signal. Acomputer-readable storage medium is not a transient signal. Further, acomputer-readable storage medium is not a propagating signal. Acomputer-readable storage medium as described herein is an article ofmanufacture. When the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device fortelecommunications. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device will generally include aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile or nonvolatile memory or storage elements), at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. The program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. The languagecan be a compiled or interpreted language and may be combined withhardware implementations.

The methods and devices associated with a telecommunications system asdescribed herein also may be practiced via communications embodied inthe form of program code that is transmitted over some transmissionmedium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics,or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code isreceived and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, agate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, or thelike, the machine becomes an device for implementing telecommunicationsas described herein. When implemented on a general-purpose processor,the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique devicethat operates to invoke the functionality of a telecommunicationssystem.

While a telecommunications system has been described in connection withthe various examples of the various figures, it is to be understood thatother similar implementations may be used, or modifications andadditions may be made to the described examples of a telecommunicationssystem without deviating therefrom. For example, one skilled in the artwill recognize that a telecommunications system as described in theinstant application may apply to any environment, whether wired orwireless, and may be applied to any number of such devices connected viaa communications network and interacting across the network. Therefore,a telecommunications system as described herein should not be limited toany single example, but rather should be construed in breadth and scopein accordance with the appended claims.

In describing preferred methods, systems, or apparatuses of the subjectmatter of the present disclosure as illustrated in the Figures, specificterminology is employed for the sake of clarity. The claimed subjectmatter, however, is not intended to be limited to the specificterminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specificelement includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similarmanner to accomplish a similar purpose. In addition, the use of the word“or” is generally used inclusively unless otherwise provided herein.

This written description uses examples to enable any person skilled inthe art to practice the claimed subject matter, including making andusing any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods.The patentable scope of the disclosed subject matter is defined by theclaims and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in theart (e.g., skipping steps, combining steps, or adding steps betweenexemplary methods disclosed herein). Such other examples are intended tobe within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements thatdo not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

As described herein, a telecommunications system wherein management andcontrol utilizing a software designed network (SDN) and a simple IP arebased, at least in part, on user equipment, may provide a wirelessmanagement and control framework that enables common wireless managementand control, such as mobility management, radio resource management,QoS, load balancing, etc., across many wireless technologies, e.g. LTE,Wi-Fi, and future 5G access technologies; decoupling the mobilitycontrol from data planes to let them evolve and scale independently;reducing network state maintained in the network based on user equipmenttypes to reduce network cost and allow massive scale; shortening cycletime and improving network upgradability; flexibility in creatingend-to-end services based on types of user equipment and applications,thus improve customer experience; or improving user equipment powerefficiency and battery life—especially for simple M2M devices—throughenhanced wireless management.

While examples of a telecommunications system have been described inconnection with various computing devices/processors, the underlyingconcepts may be applied to any computing device, processor, or systemcapable of facilitating a telecommunications system. The varioustechniques described herein may be implemented in connection withhardware or software or, where appropriate, with a combination of both.Thus, the methods and devices may take the form of program code (i.e.,instructions) embodied in concrete, tangible, storage media having aconcrete, tangible, physical structure. Examples of tangible storagemedia include floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, hard drives, or any othertangible machine-readable storage medium (computer-readable storagemedium). Thus, a computer-readable storage medium is not a signal. Acomputer-readable storage medium is not a transient signal. Further, acomputer-readable storage medium is not a propagating signal. Acomputer-readable storage medium as described herein is an article ofmanufacture. When the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device fortelecommunications. In the case of program code execution onprogrammable computers, the computing device will generally include aprocessor, a storage medium readable by the processor (includingvolatile or nonvolatile memory or storage elements), at least one inputdevice, and at least one output device. The program(s) can beimplemented in assembly or machine language, if desired. The languagecan be a compiled or interpreted language and may be combined withhardware implementations.

The methods and devices associated with a telecommunications system asdescribed herein also may be practiced via communications embodied inthe form of program code that is transmitted over some transmissionmedium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics,or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code isreceived and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as an EPROM, agate array, a programmable logic device (PLD), a client computer, or thelike, the machine becomes an device for implementing telecommunicationsas described herein. When implemented on a general-purpose processor,the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique devicethat operates to invoke the functionality of a telecommunicationssystem.

While a telecommunications system has been described in connection withthe various examples of the various figures, it is to be understood thatother similar implementations may be used, or modifications andadditions may be made to the described examples of a telecommunicationssystem without deviating therefrom. For example, one skilled in the artwill recognize that a telecommunications system as described in theinstant application may apply to any environment, whether wired orwireless, and may be applied to any number of such devices connected viaa communications network and interacting across the network. Therefore,a telecommunications system as described herein should not be limited toany single example, but rather should be construed in breadth and scopein accordance with the appended claims.

In describing preferred methods, systems, or apparatuses of the subjectmatter of the present disclosure as illustrated in the Figures, specificterminology is employed for the sake of clarity. The claimed subjectmatter, however, is not intended to be limited to the specificterminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specificelement includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similarmanner to accomplish a similar purpose. In addition, the use of the word“or” is generally used inclusively unless otherwise provided herein.

This written description uses examples to enable any person skilled inthe art to practice the claimed subject matter, including making andusing any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods.The patentable scope of the disclosed subject matter is defined by theclaims and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in theart (e.g., skipping steps, combining steps, or adding steps betweenexemplary methods disclosed herein). Such other examples are intended tobe within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements thatdo not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: registering, by aprimary cell site processor, an unmanned aerial vehicle on a flightpath; receiving, by the primary cell site processor, a list of one ormore potential secondary cell sites from the unmanned aerial vehicle,and timing advances associated with the one or more potential secondarycell sites; determining, by the primary cell site processor, a number ofcomponent carriers within each of the one or more potential secondarycell sites; selecting, by the primary cell site processor, one or moresecondary cell sites from the one or more potential secondary cell sitesusing weighting criteria, wherein the weighting criteria is based atleast in part on locations of the one or more potential secondary cellsites relative to the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle; andtransmitting, by the primary cell site processor, instructions to theone or more secondary cell sites to provide a component carrier to theunmanned aerial vehicle.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the methodfurther comprises grouping the one or more potential secondary cellsites into timing advance groups and wherein the weighting criteriacomprises a number of component carriers available in each of the timingadvance groups.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the weighting criteriacomprises a total bandwidth available from the number of componentcarriers.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the weighting criteriacomprises a bandwidth demand of the unmanned aerial vehicle.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising grouping, by the primary cell siteprocessor, the one or more potential secondary cell sites into one ormore timing advance groups.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein theselecting step comprises selecting the one or more timing advance groupsbased on a number of component carriers that are available in the one ormore timing advance groups.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein theselecting step comprises selecting the one or more timing advance groupsbased on a total bandwidth available from the number of componentcarriers.
 8. A method comprising: connecting, by a processing systemincluding a processor an unmanned aerial vehicle, to a primary cellsite, the unmanned aerial vehicle having a flight trajectory including adirection and velocity; transmitting, by the processing system, to theprimary cell site, the direction and velocity of the flight trajectoryof the unmanned aerial vehicle; transmitting, by the processing system,to the primary cell site one or more potential secondary cell sites anda power measured from each of the one or more potential secondary cellsites; forwarding, by the processing system, timing advances from eachof the one or more potential secondary cell sites to the primary cellsite; receiving, by the processing system, a selection of one or moresecondary cell sites from the one or more potential secondary cellsites, wherein the one or more secondary cell sites are reachable fromthe flight trajectory; and connecting, by the processing system, to theone or more secondary cell sites.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein theone or more secondary cell sites are based on inclusion of selectedtiming advance groups.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the selectedtiming advance groups are based on a number of component carriersassociated with each timing advance groups.
 11. The method of claim 10wherein the selected timing advance groups maximizes bandwidthassociated with a number of component carriers.
 12. The method of claim8 further comprising receiving a buffer full message from the primarycell site and identifying one or more potential secondary cell sitesresponsive to the buffer full message.
 13. The method of claim 12wherein the one or more secondary cell sites are grouped based on timingadvance groups.
 14. A system comprising: a processor associated with aprimary cell site; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memoryhaving stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by theprocessor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:receiving bandwidth demands from an unmanned aerial vehicle; receivinginformation describing a flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle;receiving a set of potential secondary cell sites and timing advancesassociated with the set of potential secondary cell sites; grouping theset of potential secondary cell sites into timing advance groups;selecting a plurality of secondary cell sites from the set of potentialsecondary cell sites based at least in part on locations of theplurality of secondary cell sites relative to the flight path of theunmanned aerial vehicle; and causing the plurality of secondary cellsites to establish communication with the unmanned aerial vehicle. 15.The system of claim 14 wherein the set of potential secondary cell sitesis determined using power levels reported by the unmanned aerial vehicleassociated with each of the potential secondary cell sites.
 16. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein the selecting step further comprisesselecting the plurality of secondary cell sites based at least in parton the number of component carriers available in each of the timingadvance groups.
 17. The system of claim 14 wherein the selecting stepfurther comprises selecting the plurality of secondary cell sites basedat least in part on the total bandwidth of component carriers availablein each of the timing advance groups.
 18. The system of claim 17 whereinavailability of the potential secondary cell sites is based on apriority level of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the selecting step isbased at least in part on the availability of the potential secondarycell sites.
 19. The system of claim 14 wherein the operations furthercomprise sending a buffer full message to the unmanned aerial vehicleand the receiving step is performed in response to the buffer fullmessage.
 20. The system of claim 14 wherein the selecting step maximizesthe bandwidth available from component carriers associated with thepotential secondary cell sites.